As the number of British soldiers reached killed in Afghanistan rises beyond that of the Falklands war, the defence secretary has assured MPs that operational budgets are sufficient and that coalition ties are strengthening the position with allies.
Appearing before the defence select committee to discuss the campaign in Afghanistan, Bob Ainsworth said that working closely with local forces is crucial to success.
However, he admitted that reconciliation with the leadership of the Taliban command is "still some way away".
The defence secretary said Operation Moshtarak had been announced in advance in part to help avoid civilian casualties.
Moshtarak has been designed to force Taliban forces from the area surround the town of Marjah in the Helmand province.
Ainsworth said it was important to give people a chance to leave the area before the fighting began if they were to succeed in winning the hearts and minds of the local population.
"The last thing we want to do is to go into an area and inflict unnecessary civilian casualties. One is too many," he said.
"Giving the civilian population the opportunity to move away from the fighting is an important part of the preparations."
He said that exchanging skills and knowledge between forces had strengthened the coalition's position, making the situation "safer".
"If you get that embedding right and are therefore able to pick up on the skills and technical capability and military capability of our own people with the cultural awareness and the local awareness of the Afghan National Army, you are safer as a result," he told the committee.
"There will always be things where the Afghan local knowledge gives them the edge.
"If you get teams totally embedded in the way that General McChrystal wants them to be then that has to be a positive thing."
Ainsworth defended measures to re-integrate the Taliban in the running of Afghanistan, stating they would be offered "alternative opportunities" such as jobs rather than bribed to support the new government.
The defence secretary said there are "lots of ways of providing alternatives lives" for those individuals who choose to leave the insurgency instead of providing "perverse incentives".
He denied claims that the Taliban is supported by local Afghans.
"The ordinary Afghan people, whether they are women or men, do not support the Taliban, do not want to see a return of the Taliban government – but, yes they want to see improved government in Afghanistan," he told the committee.
Discussing the effect of budgets on operations, Ainsworth said the current amount was sufficient, with levels of resources expected to rise to £5bn next year.
He told MPs that in 2006 around £800m from the reserve went to fund operations, but this year the amount has increased to £3.5bn and is set to rise to £5bn.
In addition, the defence secretary said some of the core budget was directed towards the Afghan operation, at about £900m across a three year period, totalling one per cent of the budget.
Conservative MP Robert Key noted that only one Afghan woman had been invited to this month's Afghanistan conference in London, and Ainsworth faced criticism for not involving more women in talks on the rebuilding of the nation.
The defence secretary responded: "There are a lot more Afghan women in their parliament than in ours, and in your party. Does that mean the Afghan society is much more progressive than the Conservative Party?"
